Why go abroad?

Teaching is one of the few professions where you can literally work your way around the world and teaching abroad allows you to grow both professionally and personally. Rather than visiting a location on holiday, getting stuck in the tourist traps and leaving with only a postcard, you will become intimately familiar with the culture and customs of your host country: something that most international teachers find enlightening and addictive. You might find yourself invited to a local wedding or being invited to a festive dinner to celebrate a regional holiday – the possibilities are endless.

You will also learn new skills in teaching by teaching in a new curriculum and by being exposed to best practice from fellow teachers who hail from many different countries around the world. You might find that the New Zealand Reading Recovery techniques are superior to your home country's, or that the way the British Curriculum assesses knowledge in chemistry is superior to your own. International schools attract a certain kind of teacher, and usually the staff in your new school will be similar to yourself: open minded, adventurous, interested in travel and experiencing new cultures, outgoing and welcoming.

Most international schools are private schools, and thus normally have fewer discipline problems with smaller class sizes and a more academic focus compared to a standard state school. This is not to say that there will not be work pressures: most international school teachers find that parents have very high expectations because they are paying for their children's education and expect results. So whilst you are trading off one kind of pressure for another, most teachers find the academic focus of international schools a welcome change.

Most international teachers have an interest in travel, and by living and working in a new region of the world you will be able to travel cheaply to nearby countries during weekends and term breaks. Living in the Middle East? Catch a cheap flight for a weekend on the Red Sea. Working in China? Why not spend your term break in Japan? But remember international schools look for teachers first, and travellers second, so they will expect that your travelling does not impact your job.

Finally, working abroad provides an excellent opportunity to save money. Visit the money matters page of this website for more information.

In short, if you are the right kind of person: adaptable, open-minded, professional and dedicated, then teaching abroad might be just what you are looking for.